HARINGTON ANTIQUITIES.
Me ma EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."' Sin,—As the antiquities of my family seem to possess a greater interest for your readers than I should have supposed would attach to co unimportant a subject, may I be permitted, as its present head, to correct an error into which your. correspon- dent "Exul " has fallen, with regard to its connection with the Gospatrics and Ormes ?
Robert de Haverington, son of Michael, did not marry Joan, grand-daughter of Robert de Vipont, first Lord Westmoreland, but Agnes, sister and heir of William de Cancefield, who brought him large possessions at Aldingham. From this alliance were descended the three families of Harington (Barons) of Aiding
ham, Harington of Exton and Ridlington, and Harington of Hornby Castle, the two first of which I now represent in the male line.
The history of the transactions of the families of Gospatric Orme and Harington with the Abbey of Holm Cultram is to be gleaned from the cartulary of that Abbey, preserved amongst the Harleian MSS., Nos. 3,911 and 3,891. From these it appears that Gospatric, son of Orme, of Flemingby, granted Flemingby, with certain exceptions, to the Abbey of Holm Cultram, that this grant was reiterated by his son Thomas, with the consent
of his brother Alan, and subsequently confirmed by Adam de Haverington, of Flemingby. The validity of this grant or con- firmation was disputed by Robert, son. of Michael Harington ; and the issue, whether Adam, who is described in the proceed- ings as " antecessor ipsins Roberti," had granted or not, was tried by a jury, who found against the demandant, my ancestor, who then, and not before, quitted claim to the Abbot.
The precise nature of the relationship between Adam and Robert Harington I have never been able to ascertain, nor how Flemingby, which is stated in my pedigrees to have been held by °sulphas, my most distant traceable ancestor in the direct male line, in the time of Richard I., originally came into the Harington family. If " Exal " will give me his name and address, and assist me in throwing any light on this obscure, but to me interesting, question, I should be much obliged to him.
In conclusion, will you permit me to express my gratifica- tion at seeing the cudgels taken up for Mrs. Halliday. In the main contention which she made, that the Harington and Courtenay pedigrees were incorrect, with respect to the alliance of William, Lord Harington, of Aldingham, with Katherine Courtenay, she was conclusively shown to be rightl by the documents which she cited ; and I should fancy that most of your readers will agree with " Ex-n1 " in thinking that the article finding fault with her general history was hyper; Whitbourne Court, Worcester, December 318t.
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